Adjectives

7.5. Adjectives

7.5.1. Present forms

English adjectives are more similar to nouns than to verbs, so they require the copula be to become predicates. On the other hand, Japanese adjectives are much more similar to verbs, so they don't need a copula. They have inflection like verbs.

All the Japanese adjectives end with the hiragana

/i/ "i" if they are in the present form. An adjective consists of a root and a suffix as verbs do, and the root never changes while suffixes can change. The final /i/ in the present form of an adjective is the suffix, and the rest is the root. Please note that the suffix for the present form of verbs is /u/, and that of adjectives is /i/.

Here are some adjectives:

Adjective

Root

Suffix

Meaning

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	yo'	i
Romanization:	yo	i

/yo/

/i/

is good

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	a	tu'	i
Romanization:	a	tsu	i

/a tu/

is hot

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	u	re	si'	i
Romanization:	u	re	shi	i

/u re si/

is glad

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	i	si'	i
Romanization:	o	i	shi	i

/o i si/

is tasty

Since adjectives always end with the hiragana

/i/, the root of an adjective always ends with a vowel. Japanese adjectives are similar to verbs, so you can consider them to be a combination of the copula be and an adjective in English.

These are examples of adjectives:

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	su'	si	wa	o	i	si'	i
Romanization:	Su	shi	wa	o	i	shi	i	.
Structure:	noun (sushi)		topic marker	adjective (is tasty)
Meaning:	Sushi is tasty.

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ki	mo	no	wa	u	tu	ku	si'	i
Romanization:	Ki	mo	no	wa	u	tsu	ku	shi	i	.
Structure:	noun (kimono)			topic marker	adjective (is beautiful)
Meaning:	Kimonos are beautiful.

7.5.2. Past forms

Add the suffix

/kaQta/ "ka t ta" to the root of an adjective to create its past form.

Present form

Past form

Adjective

Meaning

Adjective

Meaning

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	yo'	i
Romanization:	yo	i

is good


yo'	ka	Q	ta
yo	ka	t	ta

was good

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	a	tu'	i
Romanization:	a	tsu	i

is hot


a	tu'	ka	Q	ta
a	tsu	ka	t	ta

was hot

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	u	re	si'	i
Romanization:	u	re	shi	i

is glad


u	re	si'	ka	Q	ta
u	re	shi	ka	t	ta

was glad

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	i	si'	i
Romanization:	o	i	shi	i

is tasty


o	i	si'	ka	Q	ta
o	i	shi	ka	t	ta

was tasty

This is an example of the past form of adjectives:

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	su'	si	wa	o	i	si'	ka	Q	ta
Romanization:	Su	shi	wa	o	i	shi	ka	t	ta	.
Structure:	noun (sushi)		topic marker	adjective (was tasty)
Meaning:	The sushi was tasty.

7.5.3. Polite forms

Adjectives don't have a politeness suffix like verbs' politeness suffix

/ma' su/ "masu", so you have to add the polite copula

/de su/ "desu" to the end of an adjective in order to make it polite. Make the past form of an adjective first, then add

/de su/ "desu" to it to make its polite past form.

Examples:

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	su'	si	wa	o	i	si'	i	de	su
Romanization:	Su	shi	wa	o	i	shi	i	de	su	.
Structure:	noun (sushi)		topic marker	adjective (is tasty)				suffix (polite mode)

Hiragana:

Phonemes:

su'

si'

Romanization:

shi

Structure:

noun
(sushi)

topic
marker

adjective
(was tasty)

suffix
(polite mode)

The polite past form adjectives don't end with

/ta/ "ta" because of the politeness suffix. Making the polite form before making the past form is not allowed for adjectives, which would produce

/o i si' i de si ta/ "oishiideshita" in the case of the second example shown above.

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